Soetaers likely to be on the bench

Belgium know that victory over the Czech Republic in Geneva tomorrow will book a place in the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship - no mean achievement for a nation that has never previously found its way past the qualifying rounds.

A "cup final"
Having started with a 2-1 win over Greece, coach Jean-Francois de Sart labelled Belgium's next clash in the Stade Des Charmilles as a "cup final" with the Czechs bidding to revive their prospects after an opening-game defeat against France.

Contrasting results
Despite those contrasting results De Sart believes his side start as underdogs tomorrow afternoon. "There are three or four teams that are favourites to win this title and the Czechs are still one of those," he said.

Speed will be crucial
"We proved against Greece that we can play good football," he continued. "The Czechs are a tall team and physically strong but perhaps we can use our speed against them."

Good team spirit
It seems likely that he will keep star striker Tom Soetaers on the bench again and involve him later on. "The substitutes showed against Greece that they have a big role to play in the team and I am happy with the ambience in the squad" De Sart added. "We have a good team spirit."

Victory essential
According to the Czech team manager Peter Doleyal only one issue is at stake for his side - victory. Anything else will be inadequate. "Belgium are a very strong, organised team" he said. "We had problems against France," he said, "but we hope it will be better for us in this game."